BAUKO, Mountain Province – Mayor Abraham B.
Akilit urged officials of the National Water Resources Board, Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Energy and the Private Sector
Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) to formulate rules on
effective and efficient utilization of the environment charge incorporated in
power bills of consumers so it will include funding of projects to preserve and
protect the watersheds.
“We
are now in the process of finalizing our municipal annual investment plan that
prioritizes the initial fencing of around 600 hectares of the Mount Data
National Park but our available resources are not enough to fully implement the
fencing project,” Akilit told the Manila Standard, adding that concerned
national government agencies must allow the use of the environment charge being
collected from power consumers for the implementation of notable projects to
protect the watersheds.
Mount
Data National Park is the headwaters of the four major river systems,
particularly Chico, Agno, Abra and Magat rivers, that spill over to the
lowlands, thus, thousands of people are now benefitting from the water from the
watershed.
Akilit
commended the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for allocating
around P250,000 for the fencing of a portion of the watershed which is now
protected from the encroachment of farmers, thus, the total fencing of the
portion of the watershed that is situated in the town’s area of jurisdiction.
According
to him, reforestation activities must not only be confined to the perimeter of
the hydroelectric dams but also the upland watersheds that serve as the
headwaters of the different systems.
Akilit
explained more reforestation projects must be given to communities hosting the
watersheds to provide them adequate sources of livelihood so that they will not
be forced to destroy and willfully cut the planted trees which would greatly
affect the sources of water in the future.
“We
need to immediately fence the metes and bounds of the watershed within the
municipality’s area of jurisdiction to prevent further encroachments,” he said,
claiming that the municipal government is also embarking on a sustainable
reforestation program that will guarantee the preservation and protection of
the remaining forested areas and expand the same to guarantee continuous water
supply for the river systems which will be used for industrial, domestic,
agricultural and irrigation purposes.
Akilit
expressed his gratitude to most of his constituents for supporting his advocacy
on the preservation and protection of the watershed for the benefit of the
present and future generations as they already started practicing organic
farming instead of the chemical-based farming that poses a serious threat to
the state of the environment.
In
order to prevent the people from damaging the watershed, the local chief
executive asserted the need for concerned government agencies to pool their
resources and fund the implementation of various programs and projects that
will provide sustainable sources of livelihood for the local residents.
No comments:
Post a Comment